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RESHAPING DUBAI - GREEN IS GOOD FOR EVERYONE!
Sustainable Business Magazine speaks to Asif Fattah, CEO of Green Group, about green residential buildings, innovative new technology, and Expo 2021.
“Back in 2016, a lot of sustainability features were new for the UAE,” says Asif Fattah, CEO of Green Group. “The technology was not where it is today, and many things were just emerging and developing on a fast pace. Our first project was a cluster of town homes, and we started small with the sustainable technology of that time, as we believe in creating efficiencies and benefits for end user and tenant. Because if it’s good for them, then it’s ultimately good for the investor.
Green Group is a Dubai-based real estate developer bringing unique, sustainable residential buildings and villas to the local market. Since completing their first project in 2016, Green Group has become known for cutting-edge smart homes in Dubai under their ‘Signature’ brand, showcasing a variety of green and tech features. “Sustainability in developments has everything to do with how we think about the design,” says Mr. Fattah. “Design for us is how the whole thing works, not just how the final product looks. If you take a detailed look at our projects, you can see sustainable practices and technologies that are integral parts of our project. They are not visible to consumers on the first go, but these unseen features are essentials to creating the homes that the world needs today. Our understanding is, the world needs better buildings, a better living.”
ECO-FRIENDLY LIFESTYLE
Green Group since its initial days has been environmentally responsible and resource-efficient. In their first project, Signature Villas, they installed technology that was evolving and a novelty at the time. Signature Livings is Green Group’s latest flagship residential project. The two solar-powered condominium blocks are located in Jumeirah Village at the heart of Dubai. With 276 condominiums, some approaching 2,500 ft2 of livable space, the project features a wide solar canopy encompassing the project, a striking piece of modern architecture which generates clean, renewable energy for project and provides aesthetically-pleasing shade for patios, balconies, and terraces.
“Signature Livings was conceptualized at the start of 2017,” explains Mr. Fattah. “We have installed in-house solar powered generation on the rooftops, which is one of the biggest for a residential building in the region. This initiative is expected to reduce the project’s carbon footprint by the equivalent of 1,660 thirty-yearold mature trees during the lifetime of its solar cells, with each condominium contributing the equivalent of six trees, and will provide power for everything in the building outside of the private spaces, including external building lights, cooling, and electricity in common areas. Through its artificially intelligent HVAC system, the overall project is expected to reduce its carbon footprint equivalent to 5,681 thirtyyear-old mature trees from inception until the end of its useful life, which equates to 20 trees for each unit.”
ENERGY SAVING
Everything at Signature Livings is calibrated to reduce energy consumption and improve environmental performance, from LED bulbs to Nest smart thermostats. “One of the biggest impacts comes from using high-performance glass, which reduces the need for artificial lighting and air conditioning,” says Mr. Fattah. “This glass allows higher light transmittance and at the same time keeps infrared penetration and ultraviolet values low. In addition to this, it creates a thermal break and efficiently allows you to install windows wherever the overall concept allows. As a result, natural light floods the common area and the lobby. The decrease in need for electric lighting reduces the carbon footprint, so of course it’s good for the end users and the planet.”
SUSTAINABLE COFFEE
Green Group takes pride in adding eco-friendly features to improve residents’ quality of life and user experience. “When we were designing the apartment kitchens, we originally thought we’d include traditional coffee machines in the kitchens so people don’t have to buy them,” says
Mr. Fattah. “Our living concept is all about smart living, sustainability, and technology, so tenants having to drive and spend time and money to get beans, make the coffee, then clean the machine and also take care of the waste, that’s not in line with our philosophy. So, we brainstormed an innovative and sustainable solution for this. We found out that Apple’s head office is using a coffee machine called Top Brewer, which allows you to make touchless coffee direct from your cell phone which is customized to the individual’s taste. Instead of putting an individual machine in every condominium, we’re going to place these machines in every lobby. In line with our values of being environmentally friendly, we discourage using single-use cups, hence residents only need to bring a cup to have an on-the-go, freshly-brewed coffee on the house.” .
EXPO 2020 DUBAI
While Green Group delivers Signature Livings, their main focus for the immediate future is Expo 2020. Though it has been postponed until October 2021, Green Group is preparing to showcase Signature Livings and their green building concept to the world. “When you gather 192 nations and 25 million people or more for 6 months, what do you want every country to talk about?” says Mr. Fattah. “Global warming, of course. The central topic at Expo 2020 is sustainability. This is the first time the Expo has been held in the Middle East, and we’ve brought the biggest topic in the world to the table. We want to talk about how the impact of global warming can be controlled through sustainable and eco-friendly practices in the real estate industry. Moreover, Expo 2020 is primed to deliver one of the most sustainable Expo events ever. We believe that we are already contributing towards the objectives of EXPO 2020 and subsequently we believe Signature Livings fits right into Dubai Plan 2021, UAE Vision 2021, and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” c
